In the fourth part of our series which profiles members of Carnegie
Hall's team who are taking part in the ING New York City Marathon, and the people and
communities their efforts support, we meet Laurie Barowski and learn
about PS 22 in Staten Island.
Laurie Barowski first expressed herself through music by taking
violin lessons for five years as a child. She runs for Carnegie Hall
because she believes music is a common language that gives a voice to
people who may not have one otherwise.
Recently, Laurie visited PS 22 in Staten Island and met with its
principal, Melissa Donath. Melissa told Laurie about a second-grade
class at the school that studied the diverse musical heritage of New
York City using a curriculum and materials created by Carnegie Hall.
Many of the children were learning English as a second language, and
some also had speech impediments. Nevertheless, they were thrilled to
find that they could express themselves through the music of different
cultures. Some students actually skipped ahead in their workbooks, eager
to learn new songs before they were even introduced. The children were
especially excited to attend a pair of interactive concerts at Carnegie
Hall, which gave them a chance to meet and perform with the very artists
they'd been reading about.
The curriculum and concerts are part of Musical Explorers, Carnegie Hall's yearlong program
that provides first- and second-grade teachers with the materials and
training to teach basic music skills. Musical Explorers brings the rich
sound of the city's cultures into the classroom, giving hundreds of
students in the New York metropolitan area a new and fun way to learn
social studies.
According to the US Department of Education, only 39% of New York
City elementary schools fulfill their minimum arts education
requirements, so programs such as Musical Explorers are more important than ever.
Laurie is proud to represent Carnegie Hall and the voice with which it
allows children to express themselves.
Support our New York City Marathon team on Carnegie Hall's crowdrise page ›.